Crumble
by Killer-San
Summary: "I...he was going to die again if I didn't…" Orihime said quietly, trying to justify herself towards her friends. No one replied, but Chad simply rested a heavy hand on her shoulder and shot her a mock-understanding smile, even though he didn't understand at all. - What could have happened if Orihime hadn't let him slip through her fingers. Rating subject to change.
1. The Sun

**A/N**: Guess who is an awful person? I AM. Why, you ask? Because I'm starting another fanfiction without updating my other ones for ages. SORRY DUDES, THIS ONE HAS BEEN EATING AT ME. More to come! This is just an opening.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bleach whatsoever, I'm only being naughty and borrowing Ulquiorra's last moment from Kubo because it's important to my story and I love it and I love him and vhbrfcekmd.

* * *

_The Sun_

* * *

One movement too much, and it all fell apart. A single extension of his wings, and then he felt it. The slush of ash through his veins, the crumbling-but there was no pain.

"Hn...I guess that's it." A pause, a set look. "Kill me."

"..."

"Hurry up. I don't even have the strength left to walk. If you don't kill me now, this will never be settled."

Ichigo paused, face contorted. "No...I won't do it."

He couldn't control the small lift of his brow, the slight opening of his eyes. "What?"

"I said no- this...this isn't the way I wanted to win!" Ichigo screamed out into the void of Las Noches, as if he expected all his cries and pants to come to some resolve, some answer.

Pointless, but then again, he is only human.

"Tch. Frustrating, to the very end." The calm response.

His eyes shift, the serpentine edge they once held considerably dulled.

"Funny...just as I'm finding you all a little interesting."

The woman.

_What is it?_

It took all of his strength to extend his arm towards her, the feeling of touch already beyond him. He had been corroded by the black ash, the nervous system that allowed him to feel made absent. But his fingers still stretched towards her, eyebrows set just slightly lower to express a sadness, even if it wasn't felt.

"Are you afraid of me, woman?"

_Will I see it if I tear open your chest- if I shatter your skull, will I see it inside?_

_You humans speak so easily of it...almost as if-_

"No." The 'no' came adamantly, convinced. Her eyes reflected it. He saw it in the tears. "I'm not scared..." Her hand outstretched, timidly trying to meet his.

They touched and then there was only ash.

"I see."

_Yes, this… this thing in my hand-_

_is the heart?_

One moment passed, the ash brushing against her skin like some kind of animal. It stuck to her dress, pelting the torn white fabric with blotches of darkness. It clung to her cheeks, held to the human complexion by tears.

"Kurosaki...I…" She turned only slightly, hand still outstretched. It was like she was begging him to fix it: a child.

He could only ogle her, deflated, unable to speak.

The platform they stood on shook, but she didn't seem to notice.

She looked back to the front of her dress, the remaining pieces of ash that fluttered in the air.

"Kurosaki…" A mere whisper.

The top of the tower blew up in a hue of gold, just as the roof shook again.

The foundation was crumbling, from the pressure Ulquiorra had put off above and then Yammy's now rampant power below. Ichigo went for Ishida first, darting off the second the tower began to crack. He narrowly avoided the rims of the light she put out, then he turned towards her, an unconscious Ishida in arms.

"Inoue!" He screamed, pleading.

Orihime stood still.

She was the sun against a moonlit sky.

The tower crumbled.

She screamed.

Four shapes fell.


	2. The Fall

**A/N**: Aaah, two updates in one day. You lucky ducks. It was because the opening was so short, I couldn't stand just leaving a 600 or so word chapter up. I don't think that's enough to have someone truly interested in a story. Have fun, lovelys! This is all for you.

**Reviews are appreciated! **

Tell me what I'm doing wrong- or right. I don't know. Who am I? WHO ARE WE? WHY AM I HERE? WHY DO WE EXIST? OHGOD. WHY?

* * *

_The Fall_

* * *

Yammy's screams of rage highlighted the crumbling sound of the roof, huge fists pummeling the floors as chunks of ceiling came down around them. It seems like it had been silent before, or at least it seemed silent in comparison to his angry yells that complimented the sounds of shattering rock.

Rukia, Kenpachi, Byakuya and various others stood on the falsely grassy ground, each narrowly avoiding being crushed by the bits of ceiling that. No one could stay in one place, lest they wished to get hit. The fight they had all been trapped in stopped momentarily, but resting wasn't an option with the sunny roof of Las Noches coming down all around them or the other events at hand. They all, too, had noticed the sudden absence of the heavy reiatsu above them.

In the opinion of Byakuya, Ulquiorra's death was what had really riled Yammy up. Screaming and swearing, he vowed to destroy all of them, but in a short time it didn't seem that he was so much angry at Ulquiorra's death as angry as he was as the nuisance they provided. _He_ had wanted to fight Ichigo. They were taking up his time- these annoying warm ups.

Yammy was too busy letting his temper run wild to notice the falling shapes, punching chunks of ceiling away from him as they fell. It was Rukia who stepped forward as she spotted the falling Ichigo with his arms tightly around Ishida. She lurched forward and tried to catch them just before they made contact with the ground, managing to cushion their fall with little damage. Ichigo had slammed into her chest back into her chest and caused her to slid a few feet on her bottom. She was sure she'd feel that for weeks, but she'd get him back for it later when the situation wasn't so dire.

Orihime descended downwards more gracefully, using her Shun Shun Rikka's shield as a platform to lower her through the rock. She seemed unconcerned with avoiding the flying earth, she never seemed to be concerned with her own well being, eyes brimming as she scanned beneath her for _him_. Luckily for her, he wasn't too hard to find as he quickly became the center of attention.

Ulquiorra smashed into the dirt floor of Las Noches last, bringing up a dirt cloud that was much larger than any of the boulder's that fell around him. It settled by the time he could force himself upwards, using his fur-matted knee to help himself up, but still managed to coat him in a light layer of dust. It only added to his faded look; he looked just as tired as he had the moment he started fading into ash. His arm, a perfect match for his leg, hung at his side: still malformed and too skinny as they tried to regenerate themselves. Orihime had only been given enough time to make him solid again, and he figured she probably had only rejected that last cero that had pushed himself over the edge.

His tail swished once in annoyance before he let his energy sucking Resurrección form fade, knowing if he kept it up it would be more of a danger to himself. The black fur seemed to melt off of him, the leaking darkness creeping back into his hollow hole until the simple white robes he originally had adorned fluttered at his waist and the white bone of his mask perched gracefully on the side of his head. It was a quick change, done in the time it took for a single flicker to roll through a flame, then his eyes lifted to everyone who regarded him on the field, the piercing green orbs taking in all the faces. It was almost like a challenge; the way he seemed to determine their value in that single glance.

He didn't get to be intimidating for very long, however. Yammy was quick to snatch him up, trapping the very end of Ulquiorra's coat tails in a tight pinch and dangling him over the ground. "Ulquiorraaa, I thought you kicked the bucket."

With a rare flash of annoyance, Ulquiorra ignored Yammy's excited babbling and tore his jacket from his grip. He was in the air for a full two seconds before he twisted into a Sonido and landed on Yammy's shoulder. If he had been in any better shape, the Sonido would have been immediate.

"Retreat."

"What?" There was clear sign of disbelief over Yammy's face before his muscles all tightened with anger. The fact that Ulquiorra tried to keep him from having any fun: he raged. He was threatening to boil over like a hot-pot of water.

"Retreat. Let the trash go. We have other things to tend to." Ulquiorra's tone was kept neat and even, regardless of the obvious disorder of Yammy, he remained unaffected.

"Trash? Your reiatsu is shit right now. That Ichigo kid kicked your ass, which means he'll be a _hell_ of a lot of fun for me. Why are you tryina' hog up everything, Ulquiorra? Hm?"

There was a momentary pause before Ulquiorra calmly raised his uninjured arm and placed an effortless blow against Yammy's jaw, causing the man to take a few steps back and grasp at his jaw.

"Don't be stupid, Yammy. You could hardly handle him before." Ulquiorra reappeared by Yammy's feet and walked towards the group of soul reapers, leaving Yammy standing alone to quietly bitch to himself.

Ulquiorra gracefully stepped around the last few falling bits of ceiling as they crashed around him and knowing that the walls had finally stabilized somewhat, felt safe enough to stop just a few feet from the spot where Ichigo had landed. Rukia had long since abandoned watching the antics of Yammy earlier and kneeled over the still unconscious Ishida now, worriedly pressing her hands over the profusely bleeding wound. It seemed impossible to staunch it, a red river of all the mistakes Ichigo had made. Ichigo stood over the both of them, sword hoisted over one shoulder and watched Ulquiorra closely, ready to protect the two though something told him it would not be necessary.

"Go." The tone was soft, but regal: something that wouldn't be ignored.

Ichigo's eyes widened considerably, but he let the surprise fall from his expression quickly as he eyed Orihime floating against the black sky, already having somewhat of an understanding.

Ulquiorra's damaged arm raised at his side for just a moment, swiping the air once until a Garganta opened at his malformed fingertips, then he let the arm drop and his hands sink into his pockets. "Collect your friends. Leave now. Go home, go to the Soul Society, go to Lord Aizen, but you cannot stay here. The Garganta will close in twenty minutes." He didn't linger after speaking and turned his back on the group, walking away...but he didn't get far before someone tried to stop him.

"Ulquiorra!" He didn't need to look up to know it was the woman who yelled for him. He ignored her, though she made a definite ruckus as she stumbled onto the sandy floor. But she hesitated then, looking back to stare at Ichigo before trying to run off after Ulquiorra. They held tight eye contact, something that wouldn't be broken by even the danger of the shattering rocks about them. Then she took off after the pale skinned Arrancar who was already several feet away.

He didn't stop for her, and no one went after her, not even Rukia or Ichigo. They all just watched him disappear into an opening in the building a great distance away with her close behind, chasing him.

Betrayal seemed to have choked away all of their words.

Orihime sped behind Ulquiorra, trying so desperately to catch him before she lost track of him in the long white hallways of Las Noches. She knew he was wounded badly, she hadn't had enough time before the roof collapsed to bring him back to one hundred percent. It was probably why he hadn't Sonidoed away from her now, choosing to stroll at his staccato pace through the halls to some destination that was seemingly more important than his wounds.

She stumbled behind him like a newborn lamb, her legs not used to the physical strain of running for such a long period of time. "Ulquiorra, wait! Ulquiorra!" It was a well repeated scream, and she was prepared for him to ignore her as he had the several times she had shouted at him before, but he finally stopped for her then. Unturning, he spoke to her in the typical dulcet tones of his voice, but something seemed strained. "Shouldn't you be leaving with your friends, woman?"

She stopped a few feet behind him, shocked enough to completely forget she had been all cramped up from her run. Her hands wrung uncomfortably in front of her as she stared at his squared shoulders and the torn bits of his uniform.

"I-...you aren't completely healed yet." She seemed adamant, though tentative in her wording.

"I'll take care of myself."

"But you just almost di-"

He cut her off cooly, still refusing to face her. "Orihime Inoue, I am not your friend. Your friends are waiting for you in the fields. Go."

"But-"

"Go." He said more firmly as he stepped forward, preparing to continue down the hall.

"But what will you do now?" She shouted, hands unclasping.

"That is none of your concern." The dispassionate words echoed clearly back to her, but she refused to accept them. Clearly aggravated by the way he brushed her off, she ran towards him and was easily able to catch up with him with the little space they now had between them. She grabbed his shoulder and yanked it towards her. All she had wanted was to make him face her, make him regard her presence, but she saw much more than she thought she'd ever want to.

His eyes were livid.

There was no emotion in his thin lips or the set of his angular jaw, but the green of his eyes were on fire. They burned her, stained her, tore her. She let go of him immediately- the child who had touched the hot stove- but he caught her frail wrist in his pallid hands and squeezed it painfully tight, drawing her closer to him instead.

"_Leave_." The order was a mere whisper, calm and yet it seem so angry, she couldn't understand. She was confused. She might even have been frightened if she didn't see the trickle of blood escape from his pursed lips.

"Oh, Ulquiorra…" The words came out in a whoosh, her eyes brimming with the tears that always seemed to fall too easily. Then, with a lift of her other hand, he was surrounded in the golden-yellow glow of her Souten Kisshun. Quickly disgusted; he released her and stepped away from her in a quick rush, but the healing globe of light followed him.

"Stop it, woman!" Ulquiorra finally snapped, the marble floor underneath his feet cracking around him with a sudden release of pent-up spiritual pressure. "I am not like a_ human_." His voice seethed with anger though it remained flat, but his gaze was just as searing as it had been a few moments before. "It isn't in my nature to continue to exist when my existence has no purpose. It stopped having any meaning when I was defeated by a human imitating an Arrancar. You are merely delaying the inevitable by forcing me to exist in this moment." He paused, taking in a breath before he continued on his rant, but stopped when he saw the cracks of the floor being rejected by the glow that still enveloped him. All was dangerously calm for a split second before his now completely healed hand shot forward and punched the wall of the Souten Kisshun. It shattered the second the pressure hit.

_"I do not want your humanity, nor your troublesome heart. I want you to leave, I release you to die with your friends."_

He turned on his heel with those final words and used his Sonido to escape, leaving her to snivel alone in the darkness of the hallway.

Her friends were still waiting for her when she came back to the field the way she had left, tear-stained and hands brought tightly to her aching chest as if to protect it from any further blows.

Ichigo was the first to regard her, though he didn't comment on the tears she had obviously just shed. Her eyes were puffy, but the sadness reflected them was more of a hint to the feelings she felt than the state of the space below her eyes.

"Ishida needs you." He stated, before looking to the Garganta that still stood open. It led to Karakura town, to the original or the replica where the Shinigami and Aizen fought, he did not know, but he fully intended to find out. He knew full well that Orihime's presence in Hueco Mundo has simply been a way to lure as many Shinigami away from the fray in Karakura as possible, thus making them less of a nuisance.

He didn't look at her as she moved to the bleeding man and her trademark glow spread over him, inwardly feeling guilty she had run off to help Ulquiorra before her own friend whom she was supposed to value more.

"I...he was going to die again if I didn't…" Orihime said quietly, trying to justify herself towards her friends. No one replied, but Chad simply rested a heavy hand on her shoulder and shot her a mock-understanding smile, even though he didn't understand at all.

"There is quite the ruckus going on in Karakura town, Ichigo. Now that we are done here, I suggest you find a safe place for Inoue and we take our leave." Byakuya stepped forward, formal as always. "We have wounds to clean up before hand, but the time approaches to apprehend Aizen."

Ichigo nodded once, looked down to Ishida and then to Rukia who sat at his side. "I'm going to leave Inoue and Ishida in your care. Honestly, Hueco Mundo might be the safest place for them now with the ruckus going on in the Soul Society, but take them wherever you see fit when everyone is okay."

She nodded in response, but remained staring into the glow of Orihime's Souten Kusshin, obviously distracted.

It made him worry about leaving her, but sadly there were more important things to be taken care of, and he trusted her more than anything. He gave a reassuring look to Chad, before slipping through the Garganta with Byakuya and Kenpachi in tow.

Orihime didn't look at Ichigo as he left, focusing the rest of her energy into mending Ishida, but she didn't seem to be able to completely collect herself. She had spent so much of herself rejecting Ulquiorra's fate, but she couldn't fail her friend.

Chad looked over her with concerned eyes, watching her tensely hold the stance as Ishida's hand reformed. It never ceased to amaze him what she could undo, and sometimes he wondered if death was something anyone could fear with Orihime as an ally, but when he looked into her tired eyes he knew that he never could force her to exert herself over him just because he wanted to be reckless. He cherished her more than that. He wanted to protect her, not use her. That was why he came for her- no, that was why they all came for her.

He rested his hand on her shoulder once more trying to reassure her, and she looked back to him with a small smile, but her eyes betrayed her. Something in her was torn in a way that none of her friends would be able to understand.

In the end, they had decided to leave. Ulquiorra had made it very clear that it was time for them to leave, more so to Orihime than anyone else, but no one protested when Rukia suggested it. The Garganta had long since closed, so it would have to be Rukia that opened up a pathway for them to get to Soul Society, but Orihime had some unfinished business.

"I have to get some things from my room, then I'll go, okay?"

Her friends had all looked at each other then, Ishida half sat up and subconsciously clutching the space where he once had bled. It was obviously there was a small amount of distrust lingering in the air, but they let her go on the condition Chad accompanied her.

It didn't take them long to reach her room. She left him to linger in the hallway as she slipped inside, knowing he was eyeing the trashed but still obviously somewhat luxurious cell. With all her heart, she hoped he didn't think she was a traitor. She knew what this room could have said to Chad. She had been allowed a modest amount of space, and definitely didn't suffer physically at her time there. This wasn't her choice- she wanted them to believe that. It was the truth, wasn't it?

Perhaps that changed when she over-extended her help to Ulquiorra.

She looked to the moon through the bars of her window for the last time, knowing that the moon she saw at home would be nothing like the one she looked to now. It would be a friendly moon, not the pale craterless rock that glared at the white sands of Hueco Mundo. And yet, she would miss it, the only light in the darkness. There were no stars here. She began to wonder if the moon here would be less lonely with companions in the sky.

She finally tore her eyes away when she caught sight of her belongings. Her school uniform sat folded on the small table in the corner of her room and she moved to it, scooping up the clothing. They were dirty, for Orihime had feared if she gave them to the servant to wash like her robes, the uniform would not be returned.

Underneath it stared the silver bracelet Ulquiorra had given to her at the beginning of everything. The one that granted her that twelve-hour reprieve. She grimaced at the reminder of her goodbyes.

She was wary to pick it up because of this, but eventually she did, slipping it into the shirt pocket of her uniform and then locking the material underneath her arms as she turned to meet Chad with a weak smile.

"Okay, I'm ready to go now."

He merely nodded in response.


End file.
